BXBX NOVEL Chapter 95: Arrows
In response to his words, the soldiers, elite fighters, and Ogre guards surged into action, attacking the Dragon-Phoenix Sect fighters with renewed vigor.
On the northern side of the square, Bao was fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with Ma Ge and Lawat. As she watched the Demon Emperor fly up into the air, she gritted her teeth and unleashed an attack that sent five soldiers flying backward, two of them dead. Then she blocked an in coming volley of arrows before sending out another attack at another group of soldiers.
Dammit, what is that bastard doing up there? And how is he flying? That’s not Qinggong! I can’t sense any Qi fluctuations at all.
She could see his hands flashing rapidly in front of his chest, and his lips moving as he muttered what was surely the mnemonic to some type of magic. Then, he closed his eyes, and suddenly, Bao was struck by sudden inspiration.
What if we can kill him? she thought.
It wasn’t a time for contemplation or thought. In one fluid motion, she placed her Phoenix Crown onto her head and closed her hand around the hilt of Sunan’s Wind Sabre, which he had entrusted to her with the express purpose of giving her a chance to use their combined power if the opportunity presented itself.
This was just such a moment.
The Wind Sabre had been sheathed ever since the battle of Heart’s Ridge, allowed the powers within to simmer to a figurative boil. As soon as her hand wrapped around its hilt, she could feel the power thrumming between it and the Phoenix Crown.
Without any hesitation, she drew the blade, and once again felt incredible energy building up.
After cutting down Geng Long and the flood dragon with the power of the crown and the sabre, Bao had thought long and hard about what to call that blinding release of energy, but had come up short. As of this moment, it didn’t really matter.
Even as the Demon Emperor appeared to be completing the casting of his spell, and as his eyes were opening, Bao slashed the sabre through the air, and an enormous column of white and blue energy snaked out.
The Demon Emperor’s eyes went wide.
**
After landing hard onto the ground in what was essentially enemy territory, Mao Yun struggled to his feet along with Li Jiahui and a handful of others from the Pure Phoenix Division.
Then, the entire group of them watched in shock as the Demon Emperor doubled in size and flew up into the air.
Before any of them could react, the elite enemy fighters rushed toward them, followed closely behind by the Ogre Guards.
In a situation like that, many people would curse their luck and tremble in terror. But not Mao Yun. As far as he was concerned, his new positioning on the battlefield was an opportunity.
“Stand firm, all of you!” he cried to the Pure Phoenix fighters. “Buy some time for the rest of the sect!” Hefting his pitch-black battle axe, he prepared to meet the charge of the enemy forces.
“You heard the Phoenix General,” Li Jiahui said. “Give them hell!”
Mao Yun swung his axe through the air, unleashing a blast of energy directly into the ranks of the elite fighters. At the same time, Li Jiahui suddenly turned into a blur as he used a rare offensive Qinggong move to blast directly into the enemy lines. The other Pure Phoenix fighters also fanned out and unleashed their most powerful techniques.
**
As soon as Sunan saw Bao reaching for her Phoenix Crown, he knew what was coming. Although he had been in the middle of meditation when she slaughtered Geng Long and the flood dragon, he had clearly been able to sense the energy she had unleashed at that time, and of course had heard her first-hand account of what had occurred.
As such, he knew exactly what type of attack was coming, and also, what he needed to do.
Perhaps Bao would be able to take out the Demon Emperor by unleashing the combined power of the Phoenix Crown and the Wind Sabre. But if she didn’t, then it would be more important than ever that the two divisions of the sect get in formation as quickly as possible.
“Dragon General Tie,” he shouted above the din of fighting. “Use your Titan Squad Array!”
Instantly, Tie Gangwen and four members of the Golden Dragon Division grouped together in a smaller formation designed to maximize damage over a short period of time.
“Dragon Lords,” Sunan continued, “use cathartic Dragon Pearl Formations immediately!”
Even before the words finished leaving Sunan’s mouth, the Dragon Lords did exactly as Sunan had indicated, grouping into squads of three to blast at the enemy with the Dragon Pearl Formations.
Whether it was the Titan Squad Array or the Dragon Pearl Formations, all of them were powerful trump cards that could only be used once or twice in a single battle. While Sima Zikang had cautioned to hold them in reserve until the battle situation was more clear, hoped that using them in this chaotic moment would open up the space they needed to fall into the larger Dragon-Phoenix formation that was their ultimate weapon.
Instantly, the Dragon Division forces began to push the Demon Emperor’s forces back across the square.
At the same time, the Claws of the Phoenix on the north side of the square began to unleash similar trump cards to shift their position.
As both divisions of the sect moved into action, brilliant white and blue light began to spread out across the square, with Bao in the very middle of it.
**
When the Demon Emperor saw the massive beam of light closed in on him, he grabbed a jade pendant that was hanging around his neck. As his hand closed around it, it shattered, releasing a cloud of mist the formed into the shape of a circular buckler.
In the last moment before the beam hit him, he thrust his hand out, and the buckler slammed into it.
Instantly, a high-pitched droning sound filled the entire square, accompanied by rippling pulses of energy that caused blood to begin to seep out of the eyes, ears, noses, and mouths of the less powerful fighters on the battlefield.
**
From Bao’s perspective, it felt as if she had just slammed an iron rod into the trunk of an oak tree. Pain flowed up her arm, which spasmed and trembled physically.
Cracks spread out in the paving stones beneath her feet, and she suddenly was struck with the feeling that the energy in the Wind Sabre had only been partially released. Being the conduit for the release of the energy, she was like a hole in a dam, through which water was gushing rapidly until it was unexpectedly plugged up. If that water wasn’t allowed to drain properly, the dam would be destroyed, starting with the hole!
**
Ironically, the Demon Emperor felt something quite similar to Bao. Pain spread out through his arm, which began to shake as he was pushed every so slightly backward through the air.
It had been a long time since the Demon Emperor had felt pain. In fact, it had been a long time since he engaged in a fight with anyone remotely close to this level.
As such, a cold grin spread out on his face, and he pushed out against the beam of light.
**
The sudden standoff between Bao and the Demon Emperor caused almost all of the other fighting in the square to cease, as everyone watched with baited breath.
Both sides knew that the result would have a major effect on the battle. For the Dragon-Phoenix Sect, this was their beloved Phoenix Sovereign, and also the person who was to lead the northern half of the spell formation. Were she to be injured, or worse yet killed, it would be a devastating blow to say the least.
As for the forces of the Demon Emperor, their situation was even more grave. If the inconceivable happened, and he fell in battle, then the fate of his minions needed no strong imagination to conceive of.
As the buckler and the beam of light caused intense rumbling sounds to fill the square, one of the Demon Emperor’s most devoted Ogre guards surreptitiously reached into a belt pouch and pulled out what appeared to be a short arrow crafted from green bronze. Then he slowly placed the arrow onto the hand-held crossbow he held in his right hand, and began to mutter some words in a strange language.
**
As Mao Yun watched Bao and the Demon Emperor engaging in what almost seemed like a battle of strength, a strange sensation suddenly began to creep up his neck. Turning his head, he saw one of the Ogre guards slowly extending his right hand, within which was a hand-held crossbow.
It didn’t take any calculation on Mao Yun’s part to realize that the crossbow was aimed at none other than Bao!
There was no time for pausing or hesitation.
Even as the Ogre’s hand squeezed the trigger, Mao Yun lunged forward.
The arrow left the crossbow, becoming a streak of light that, to Mao Yun’s shock, split into two, then four, then eight, and then continued to split over and over again, rapidly transforming into a massive maelstrom of bronze arrows.
Eyes widening, he thrust his axe out to meet the arrows, simultaneously shouting, “Jiahui, help!”
**
Although Bao could sense a commotion breaking out, and even vaguely heard Mao Yun’s shout, she had no attention to spare for the matter. Gritting her teeth, she pushed forward with the Wind Sabre, ignoring the screaming of the muscles, bones and tendons in her right arm as she did so. Even her blood felt like it was on the verge of boiling.
I’m not gonna back down you bastard.
**
It was to the Demon Emperor’s shock that he realized more power was building up in the beam of light, shoving him backward through the air and sending such intense pain up his arm that it wiped the grin off of his face and caused sweat to break out on his forehead.
How are you doing this, human?